Electro Violet is the career spanning retrospective from legendary avant-garde composer Irmin Schmidt, (released on 20 November 2015). It is a 12 CD deluxe box set that takes you on a journey through his entire solo work from 1981 to the present day.Irmin Schmidt is a founding member of Can, the German band whose unparalleled genius remains unquestioned, timeless and immeasurably influential. When all Can members decided to part and explore new sounds, Irmin teamed up with Swiss jazz and electronics musician Bruno Spoerri to make his first post-Can album, Toy Planet (1981), which opens the box set.
After a classical education as pianist, conductor and composer, Irmin Schmidt – who studied under Stockhausen and Ligeti – established Can in the late 60s combining classic new music with rock and jazz. The band’s powerful influence has never diminished and recently Irmin Schmidt was awarded a Knighthood – the Chevalier De L’Ordre Des Arts Et Des Lettres – for his contribution to arts and culture by the French Ministry of Culture.
Following the release of Toy Planet, Schmidt continued his work for film and released his second solo album, Musk At Dusk (1987), followed by Impossible Holidays (1991).
Both Musk At Dusk and Impossible Holidays feature lyrics by the novelist Duncan Fallowell, sung by Schmidt. The collaboration with Fallowell continued with his next project: the opera Gormenghast, based on Mervyn Peake’s classic novel, for which Fallowell wrote the libretto.
During work on the opera Irmin Schmidt met Jono Podmore, electronic composer and programming specialist, which whom he formed the duo Irmin Schmidt & Kumo and released two albums: Master Of Confusion (2001) and Axolotl Eyes (2008).
All six solo albums are featured in Irmin Schmidt’s Electro Violet alongside six soundtrack CDs that provide an overview of Schmidt’s work for film.
